International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management 326 Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792

Transparent Concrete

Rasvir Singh1, Sunil Priyadarshi2 1M. Tech. Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Rayat Bahra University, Chandigarh, India 2Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Rayat Bahra University, Chandigarh, India

Abstract: Transparent concrete is a concrete based building Table 1 material with light-Tran missive properties due to embedded light Properties of Transparent Concrete Blocks By Litracon Company optical elements usually Optical fibers. Light is conducted through

Litracon- Light the stone from one end to the other. Therefore, the fibers have to Product

Transmitting Concrete go through the whole object. Transparent concrete is also known

Form Prefabricated blocks as the translucent concrete and light transmitting concrete because of its properties. It is used in fine architecture as a facade material Ingredients 96% concrete, 4% optical fibre

and for cladding of interior walls. In this paper, to integrate the 2100-2400 Kg/m2 Density merits of concrete and optical fiber, for developing transparent Block size 600mm x 300mm concrete by arranging the high numerical aperture Plastic Optical

Thickness 25-500mm fibers (POF) or big diameter glass optical fiber into concrete. The

Colour White, Grey or Black main purpose is to use sunlight as a light source to reduce the power consumption of illumination and to use the optical fiber to Fibre distribution Organic

sense the stress of structures and also use this concrete as an Finished Polished architectural purpose for good aesthetical view of the building. 50 N/mm2 Compressive strength

7 N/mm2 Keywords: multimode fiber “Nano-Optics and semi-gloss Bending Tensile strength Source: www.litracon.hu/productlist.php

1. Introduction Just a few decades ago concrete was often misunderstood, 2. Material used for transparent concrete disliked and captured by its image fixed due to the rapid urbanization of the1960s. But since that time, concrete has made considerable progress, not only in technical terms, but also in aesthetic terms. It is no longer the heavy, cold and grey material of the past; it has become beautiful and lively. By research and innovation, newly developed concrete has been created which is more resistant, lighter, white or colored, etc. Concrete has learned to adapt to almost all new challenges that appeared. In 2001, the concept of transparent concrete was first put forward by Hungarian architect AronLosonzi, and the first transparent concrete block was successfully produced by mixing large amount of glass fiber into concrete in 2003, named as LiTraCon. Joel S. and Sergio O.G. developed a transparent Fig. 1. Types of fibers concrete material, which can allow 80% light through and only Source: Simon Kwan, “Principles of Optical Fibers”, San Jose State 30% of weight of common concrete. It is worth mentioning that University, 2002 Since the single-mode fibers propagate light in one clearly Italian Pavilion in Shanghai Expo 2010 shows a kind of defined path, intermodal dispersion effects is not present, allowing the fiber to transparent concrete developed by mixing glass into concrete in operate at larger bandwidths than a multimode fiber. On the other hand, 2010. While the transparent concrete mainly focuses on multimode fibers have large intermodal dispersion effects due to the many light transparency and its objective of application pertains to green modes of propagations it handles at one time. technology and artistic finish. Therefore, it is imperative to There are two basic materials used for making transparent develop a new functional material to satisfy the structure in concrete, one is from construction field and another from terms of safety monitoring (such as damage detection, fire sensing field. First, concrete is one of the most important civil warning), environmental protection and energy saving and engineering materials with the advantages of rich raw materials, artistic modeling. Transparent or translucent concrete can be low cost and simple production process and second the optical seen as a recent answer to the architects call for more fiber has good light guiding property which can be arrange to transparent Architecture. transmit the light and the sun light transmit according to pre- International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management 327 Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792 design road without light-heat, light-electrical or phenomenon is probably the sharp display of shadows on the photochemical process, and photo elastic effect which can be opposing side of the wall. Moreover, the color of the light also used to study the stress distribution of structures. Combining remains the same. the advantages of the concrete and optical fiber, developing a novel functional material called transparent concrete has an 5. Manufacturing process important value in the application of construction and sensing. The manufacturing process of transparent concrete is almost Types of optical fiber, there are three basic types of optical same as regular concrete. Only optical fibers are spread fibers: throughout the aggregate and cement mix. Small layers of the  Multimode graded-index fiber concrete are poured on top of each other and infused with the  Multimode step-index fiber fibers and are then connected. Thousands of strands of optical  Single-mode step-index fibers. fibers are cast into concrete to transmit light, either natural or A multimode fiber can propagate hundreds of light modes at artificial. Light-transmitting concrete is produced by adding 4% one time while single-mode fibers only propagate one mode as to 5% optical fibers by volume into the concrete mixture. The shown in Fig. 1. concrete mixture is made from fine materials only it does not contain coarse aggregate. Thickness of the optical fibers can be 3. Principle varied between 2 µm and 2 mm to suit the particular Transparent concrete or translucent concrete is work Based requirements of light transmission. Automatic production on “Nano-Optics”. Optical fibers pass as much light when tiny processes use woven fibers fabric instead of single filaments. slits are placed directly on top of each other as when they are Fabric and concrete are alternately inserted into molds at staggered. Principal can carry because optical fibers in the intervals of approximately 2 mm to 5 mm. Smaller or thinner concrete act like the slits and carry the light across throughout layers allow an increased amount of light to pass through the the concrete. concrete. Following casting, the material is cut into panels or blocks of the specified thickness and the surface is then typically polished, resulting in finishes ranging from semi-gloss to high-gloss.

Fig. 2. Transparent panels

4. Construction Fig. 3. Transparent concrete when optical fibers are in organic distribution Transparent concrete is produced out of fine-grain con-create and translucent fabric which is layer cast in pre-fabricated mould. Because of relatively small amount of fabric, solidity and consistency of transparent concrete are the same as the high-strength concrete. Almost free energy loss light penetration through optic fibers makes it possible to see light, shadows and even colors through concrete even by very thick walls. It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks and panels. Due to the small size of the fibers, they blend into concrete becoming a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate. In this manner, the result is not mixed material like glass in concrete but a new material, which is Fig. 4. Transparent Concrete When Optical Fibers Are in Layered homogeneous in its inner structure as well as on its main Distribution surfaces. The optical fibers lead light by points between the two 6. Application sides of the blocks. Because of their parallel position, the light- information on the brighter side of such a wall appears A. Illuminate your walls unchanged on the darker side. The most interesting form of this Transparent Concrete can be used as building material for International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management 328 Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792 interior and exterior walls. If sunshine illuminates the wall structure, then eastern or western placement is recommended; the rays of the rising or setting sun will hit the optical glass fibers in a lower angle and the intensity of the light will be bigger. Besides the traditional applications of a wall, the light transmitting concrete can also be used as wall covering illuminated from the back.

Fig. 7. Transparent Partition Wall F. It can be also applicable at  Transparent concrete blocks suitable for floors, pavements and load-bearing walls.  Facades, interior wall cladding and dividing walls Fig. 5. Translucent Wall for Architectural View based on thin panels.

 Partitions wall and it can be used where the sunlight B. Watch your pavement shine at sunset does not reach properly. This concrete can be used as flooring a passable surface  In furniture for the decorative and aesthetic purpose. illuminated from below. During the day it looks like typical  Light fixtures. concrete pavement but at sunset the paving blocks begin to  Light sidewalks at night. shine and in different colors.  Increasing visibility in dark subway stations. C. Get creative with design  Lighting indoor fire escapes in the event of aVallabh power failure. The building units are versatile and can be used in many areas of design. Two successful designs using the light transmitting  Illuminating speed bumps on roadways at night. concrete were a jewel and a concrete bench. You can also create a logo with colorful figures, inscriptions, and pictures and can 7. Advantages and disadvantages used for beautification purpose  The main advantage of these products is that on large scale objects the texture is still visible - while the texture of finer translucent concrete becomes indistinct at distance.  When a solid wall is imbued with the ability to transmit light, it means that a home can use fewer lights in their house during daylight hours.  It has very good architectural properties for giving good aesthetical view to the building.  Where light is not able to come properly at that place transparent concrete can be used.  Energy saving can be done by utilization of

Fig. 6. Decorative Wall Design transparent concrete in building.  Totally environment friendly because of its light D. Artsy reception desk transmitting characteristics, so energy consumption If you really want to create a look that stands out, you should can be reduced. opt for this artsy and vogue reception desk where light up in the  The main disadvantage is these concrete is very costly front and the sides. because of the optical fibers. E. A Lighting fixture and conversational piece  Casting of transparent concrete block is difficult for The transparent concrete cube is, without a doubt, a great the labor so special skilled person is required. conversation piece. The new cube line consists of four identical pieces of concrete and, due to its special geometry; the pieces 8. Conclusion form a stable structure without fixing them together. A novel architectural material called transparent concrete can be developed by adding optical fiber or large diameter glass International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management 329 Volume-2, Issue-1, January-2019 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5792 fiber in the concrete mixture. The transparent concrete has good References light guiding property and the ratio of optical fiber volume to [1] D. D. L. Chung, “Cement reinforced with short carbon fibers: a concrete is proportion to transmission. The transparent concrete multifunctional material,” Composites: Part B.31:511-526, 2000. not loses the strength parameter when compared to regular [2] F. Ansari, “Practical Implementation of Optical Fiber Sensors in Civil Structural Health Monitoring,” Journal of Intelligent Material Systems concrete and also it has very vital property for the aesthetical and Structures, 18(8):879-889, 2007. point of view. It can be used for the best architectural [3] H. Li, H.G. Xiao, and J. P. Ou, “Microstructure of cement mortar with appearance of the building. Also used where the light cannot nano-particles,” Composites Part B Engineering, 35:185-189, 2004. reach with appropriate intensity. This new kind of building [4] Jianping He, Zhi Zhou, JinpingOu, and Minghua Huang, “Study on Smart Transparent Concrete Product and its Performances”, Dalian, China, materialcan integrate the concept of green energy saving with 2011. the usage self-sensing properties of functional materials. [5] http://www.magtudin.org/Translucent%20concrete.htm

Acknowledgement This research has been supported by Rayat Bahara University (USET) under the guidance of Er.Sunil Priyadarshi (RBU)